At 12:10 PM 2/4/97 EST, you wrote:

>     1)  "Mark Twain" basically means "safe water" since it indicates
>two marks or twelve feet.  Right so far?

That all depends on whether the river is rising or falling or, in another
case if you are travelling in the wrong direction. In other words, if your
soundings have been five fathoms, four fathoms, three fathoms, and then,
"mark twain (two fathoms," you could be in trouble, especially if those
soundings came in rapid succession.

>     3)  And did I not read, in the last year or two, a second and
>different explanation of the source of the name?  What was that?

One explanation I received was that this came from Twain's habit of ordering
a couple of drinks at a time. Tabs were kept on a chalkboard and for
Clemens, the bartender would "mark twain." This is the explanation I prefer,
but my preference has nothing to do with historical truth.

I do not have the reference for your second question at hand and for this I
apologize but I am taking a break from cleaning up after a flood in our
cellar. Time to go build an ark.

Regards,


Marcus W. Koechig